


Sketches

by Fumm95



Series: My Sun My Stars (Jihyun Kim & MC) [5]
Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, First Meetings, Introspection, Pre-Relationship, Tags to be updated as necessary
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2019-02-04 16:02:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12774501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fumm95/pseuds/Fumm95
Summary: Short ficlets following Eunbyeol (MC) as she meets and interacts with the RFA and their kind, quiet, mysterious leader.





	1. Impression

**Author's Note:**

> I just started my first replay of Another Story (feel free to check out my tumblr if you want to watch my progress and/or join in) and I suppose I should have expected that it would inspire more ficlets from me lol. Updates will be sporadic depending on what inspires me. :)

This isn’t at all what she was expecting when she agreed to help try out the game.

From her position lying across the bed that has been provided to her, Eunbyeol stretches lazily, her phone held loosely in her hand. Other than her admittedly strange arrival, blindfolded and led entirely by the man who contacted her in the first place, she has no complaints for the service she’s received: excellent food and comfortable accommodations and, of course, a most interesting pastime. If nothing else, it’s a welcome break from her studies, that’s for certain.

Almost without meaning to, she swipes at her phone, opening up the app that is the game and watching as the main page loads. There’s nothing new but that’s not surprising, since her phone vibrates whenever there’s a new chatroom. Instead, she finds herself staring at the list of characters along the top of the page, each avatar a small headshot so realistic that she wonders vaguely whether Ray used photos of various people.

It’s been an interesting day, that’s for certain. Her eyes shift from one to the next, doing her best to commit them to memory. The black haired one in the suit with the serious expression, Jumin, a corporate leader and slow to trust but also slow to rescind it, if today is any indication. Zen, handsome and cheerful and quick to open up. She still doesn’t think she has a good understanding of the one who goes by 707 or how he fits the role of the hacker that he’s been written as, but Yoosung is much easier to read, with his frustrations toward the circumstances and apparent hero-worship of the deceased Rika. Beside him, the only woman, the secretary Jaehee, harried but still collected, as pragmatic and efficient as she is suspicious.

And finally… the character whose username is simply V, who is the leader of this little group and the former fiancee of the enigmatic Rika. A Jihyun Kim, if Zen is to be believed, and a man with many conflicting accounts on all sides. A man who is trusted by Zen and Jaehee, who has earned the seemingly undying loyalty of Jumin, who shares secrets only with the hacker, and yet who is practically loathed by Yoosung. A character who until only a few minutes earlier, had not shown up all day, but who was unerringly kind to her as soon as he did.

She idly taps at his profile, though she barely notes the simple profile picture or serene cover photo that load. Instead, she recalls their “conversation,” the words that illustrated depth and character and life experiences that she cannot begin to imagine, let alone determine how to program into a little messenger app game.

Honestly, she’s not sure if she’s ever met someone that nuanced, whose mind has intrigued her as much, in her life. And somehow, Ray has managed it with a character.

Almost unbidden, his words, comparing her exceptionally ordinary self to a gemstone, rise to the forefronts of her mind and she groans, tossing her phone beside her on the bed and burying her face in her hands and feeling her cheeks grow warmer under her fingers. This is ridiculous.

Shaking her head once, hard, to clear her thoughts, she gets to her feet. It’s already nearly one in the morning, which isn’t actually all that late for her, but given the fact that she has a break from late night studying, she might as well take advantage of it.

And yet her mind still wanders as she prepares for bed, darting about from observing her surroundings to admiring the stars in the night sky. And, she has to admit, if only to herself, back to V.

“He’s hurting, he’s just lost his loved one, you don’t know anything about him, and he’s not even real,” she mutters to herself as she slides under the covers. The fact that the words are sullen and his status as fictional ranks _last_ on the list of reasons why her interest won’t lead to anything means that she should probably be rather concerned.

Or, at the very least, _thankfu_ l that this is only an app game and one that, presumably, she’ll be done with as soon as the beta-testing ends, because this V character is beginning to pique her curiosity far more than he should.

And yet, in spite of her own misgivings, she can’t help but reach for her phone again, wondering when she’ll hear from him next.


	2. Bystander

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V's musings on the new person in the chatroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually started working on this almost immediately after finishing the last one but for some reason, my writing inspiration has been crap these days.
> 
> Takes place... sometime around days 1 and 2 of Another Story.

As his thumb slid across the end call button, V collapsed into a chair and watched as his phone slipped from suddenly numb fingers, falling onto his rug with a low thud.

What had he done?

For months now, he had endeavored to keep the truth from escaping and corrupting the rest of the world. It was his own mistake, his own failure that resulted in the veritable cult that was Mint Eye. In the danger that secretly, silently lurked in the rest of society, and especially for the other members of the RFA.

But the threat against the RFA, and by extension, the rest of the city at large, he knew about, had plans to combat. He had kept the truth from those who cared for Rika, had hidden them, shielded them, from what she and thus he had created. From what she had become. It was a delay at best, he knew, but time was a precious commodity once he had discovered the extent to which everything had grown out of control. Only then could he figure out a solution.

Except, it seemed, Mint Eye was not content to wait.

In some ways, perhaps he should have suspected something. Even though it was not his decision for Rika to leave, to storm away once she knew she would never have his support in her little “project,” he knew her better to believe that she would have taken anything, especially perceived betrayal, lying down. Especially not for her concept of salvation. Not when she truly believed in her paradise. It was only a matter of time before she sought to induct everyone she cared about.

Still, he hadn’t ever considered that the attack would be so _soon_ , hadn’t considered that she might have had a contingency plan in place.

Hadn’t considered that she might draw in an innocent bystander, if that’s what this woman who had infiltrated their chatroom was.

He leaned over, reaching for his fallen phone with a sigh. A few practiced taps brought up the RFA app and with it, this Eunbyeol’s profile, which he squinted at. She had clearly just joined; there was nothing more than a picture of her in what appeared to be a park and her name. For all intents and purposes, she seemed perfectly ordinary and, in any other circumstance, he might have just asked Luciel to block her access until they had a chance to look into her further.

Except there were the slight problems of her having hacked into the highly secure RFA app, being untraceable by Luciel, and mentioning Rika by name.

V closed his eyes, raising one hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. It did nothing to help the slight sting in his eyes, the constant reminder of his mistakes, but it at least allowed him a blessed moment to _think_.

If this woman were telling the truth that her location was secret, something he was rather inclined to believe given her mention of Rika, then he suspected he knew exactly where she was, untraceable as it was. It also meant that, if she weren’t already a member of Mint Eye, sent to distract and divide them, she was surely under their eye, monitored by whoever did hack their way into the RFA servers. Watching her, and watching them. They would know the moment Luciel shut her out.

And surely they’d find some way to exact their revenge. Which meant…

He rose to his feet and made his way to his closet. Meticulously hidden underneath several boxes of old photography equipment and other useless knickknacks, the neatly folded dark robe he had obtained the first time he visited Magenta lay. He pulled it out with shaking hands and set it on the bed, where it draped, almost innocent in appearance. If he hadn’t known better, he would have thought the same way.

But he had seen the cult activities, seen what Rika had commanded be done to dissenters and even those simply identified as potentially questioning the beliefs that they were instilled with. He had seen the dangers of staying too long, the horrors of what was done to those who were simply seeking a better life.

He couldn’t let that happen to someone who he was beginning to believe was simply an innocent, genuinely warm-hearted person drawn into the messy battle that was his creation, his cross to bear.

With shaking hands, he drew the heavy material over his head, carefully straightening the cloth as much as he could. Pulling the hood forward far enough to hide his hair, he checked his appearance in the mirror and drew a deep breath, pushing away the panic that threatened to drown him at the man staring back, decked in the pitch black robes of the Believers. His appearance didn’t matter.

He had work to do.


	3. Symmetry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some musings on both sides at Magenta.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I came to the realization that, at some points even before they actually meet, V and MC were quite near each other. And because apparently I can't stop writing introspective pieces.
> 
> Takes place the night of day 3 in Another Story.

It was a quiet night.

Making his way outside and to the small garden, V sat on a bench and stared up towards the sky. This far in the mountains, the moon shone down on him against a backdrop of twinkling stars, bright and beautiful, but mysterious too, lightly shrouded by a thin layer of clouds.

In some ways, it was much like his situation, with all of its twists and secrets and obfuscation. Whether or not it would resolve just as easily was a question that he was almost afraid to answer.

With a sigh, he lowered his gaze to the fortress behind him. Somewhere, Eunbyeol was in there, heavily watched by what seemed like an army of Believers. He wasn’t sure what she was told before her phone was used to infiltrate the RFA but there was no doubt in his mind that she was being used by a group who had been far from forthcoming to her, and given the interest that Saeran had shown in her, she was in grave danger.

Danger that, as far as he could figure out, she had no inkling of being in.

Frustration simmered, low but volatile, in his mind but he closed his eyes, willing it away as best he could. It would not do to let anyone in Mint Eye find out any more than they already knew, and especially not by noticing his negative emotions. That would only raise far too many questions and heighten suspicion he couldn’t afford to increase. Not until he knew what would happen to her.

Instead, he drew a deep breath, letting it out slowly. It wasn’t cold enough yet that he could see his breath, but he could imagine it all the same, drifting out over the bushes and flowers, carrying with it all of his concerns and unruly emotions. He would never be as talented as Jumin at being pragmatic, but hopefully it would be enough.

It would have to be enough.

After several long moments, he sat back, consciously forcing tense muscles to relax. His gaze flickered back up towards the castle, stretching before him, imposing and opaque, _concealing_. That she was in there, he was certain enough of; there were few other people who Saeran would escort through the gardens in such a manner, who Saeran would attach himself to in such a manner, and the gentle, considerate, _trusting_ woman seemed almost too fitting for him.

Perhaps she was selected for that exact reason?

He shook his head. That line of thinking would do little for him and even less to save her from the web she was slowly being entangled in. He would simply have to wait and see.

* * *

It was a quiet night.

Eunbyeol sat on the edge of the bed, thumbing through her phone. She wasn’t entirely sure when she began to check it compulsively, constantly on the lookout for another chatroom, another interaction, but she couldn’t help herself; the characters were so varied, so real that she often found herself caught up in their stories, in their lives and conversations.

She often found herself forgetting that they were AI at all.

Honestly, it was much easier than she expected to immerse herself in the game, between the expertly voiced phone calls and the realistic characters, authentic reactions, and preexisting relationships. She laughed quietly to herself, remembering the little discussions between V and Jumin on their childhood memories and the pictures from so long ago that, somehow, they had stored on their phones, a clear sign of their deep affection for each other.

Or, rather, that it would be if they weren’t pre-programmed to have them already, if every little interaction and inflection weren’t decided by the game creator.

With an audible sigh, she shook her head. It was all too easy to forget that she was playing a game. Or, at least, that that was what Ray had told her. And while her presence as a beta-tester made little sense, the idea of what she was doing, why she was needed, if they were real made even less sense. Unless…

Distantly, she noticed that her hands were beginning to tremble and she shook her head. There was no need to imagine worse-case scenarios. Not yet. In doing so, she was simply asking for increased anxiety, especially when there had been no real indication of any deceit. Surely she’d find out more as time progressed.

Resolution made, she rose and let her wandering feet guide her towards the window. Her room overlooked one of the various gardens that seemed to surround the mysterious building she was staying in, above which the moon, impossibly bright compared to the view from the city, shone down, illuminating the bushes and benches lining the ground. And a solitary figure, perched on one of the benches.

For several moment, she stared, straining to make out details. It couldn’t have been Ray; he had said he had work awaiting him, and the figure was dressed in a dark robe, rather than the magenta jacket her escort always wore. Another worker who lived in the building, then, so caught up in the natural beauty that they had forgotten the time. She couldn’t blame them.

Even so, the change in pace did little to distract her from the frantic beating of her heart, the sudden unease that plagued her. Instead, she cracked her window open, allowing the cool summer breeze in from the grounds, wafting in the gentle scent of roses, and slid to a seat on the carpet, back pressed against the wall.

It took a moment to realize that her phone was in her hand, unlocked and already halfway to calling the character V on her app. Once she did, she hesitated, finger hovering over the call option. Surely it would only serve to increase her confusion but…

But at the same time, hearing his voice, real or not, had a very real calming effect on her and to deny that would be simply pointless. And it wouldn’t change the fact that his kind and insightful responses could never fail to bring a smile to her lips.

Besides, it wasn’t like he would always answer, right?

As for the rest…

Again, she shook her head, this time with a little frustration at her own indecisiveness, before resolutely tapping the call key. The rest, she’d simply have to wait and see.


	4. Cowardice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V escapes from Magenta alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m super behind because I ended up spending the entire Thanksgiving break helping my dad edit a textbook he’s working on. Anyway, I'm already on day 9 of my replay and there’s SO MUCH TO WRITE ABOUT but I’ve got SO MANY OTHER IDEAS as well so you guys get to wait.
> 
> Takes place… late night of day 4 into early morning of day 5.

He should have known. He _should have known_.

Lungs burning, V pressed himself against a tree trunk, listening desperately for any indication of his pursuers. Rough bark and sharp branches dug into his back, even through his cloak, but he barely felt them. It was nothing, _nothing_ , compared to what might happen to Eunbyeol, now that his plan failed.

Now that the truth was revealed, and surely both Saeran and Rika knew that their little gig was up.

And he hadn’t been able to do enough to save her, the gentle, innocent woman who had stumbled her way into danger that had nothing to do with her. Who had been so gentle, so accepting that, even online, he couldn’t resist the urge to open up to her. Who had watched him with warm brown eyes, who still trusted him even though she had no reason to, especially given how much of her interactions with him had been under the premise of a lie.

And who was still at the mercy of Mint Eye.

The crunch of rapid footsteps, muffled but still distinguishable, caught his attention and he froze, his heart in his throat. He wasn’t foolish enough to believe that he had managed to outstrip the multitudes of Believers out searching for him, nor was he naive enough to believe that they might have elected to leave him be.

No, not them. They knew how much he had managed to infiltrate into her base of operations, how close he had come to saving Eunbyeol, and also how close he had come to failing entirely in protecting her.

Cautiously, he ensured his hood remained up, blocking any sign of his hair, and poked his head around the tree. Darkness blanketed the forest he had done his best to vanish into, but through the darkness, he thought he saw a light, bobbing and weaving among the trees, still far enough away that he should be able to remain unnoticed, if he were careful.

And he had to be, if he wished to have any chance of redeeming himself after fleeing.

Almost as if the thought itself broke the dam keeping his self-recrimination back, his hands clenched into fists at his side. He’d had a chance to save Eunbyeol, then, had had a moment when he was right before her. But instead, he had run, escaping the compound alone. Another stronger man might have been able to save her. A better man.

Not a coward, like him.

But then again, perhaps only a coward could have put her in that spot in the first place, could have left everything to the last minute as he did. Only he could have brought Rika as far as he had. Could have ruined everything for not only himself but all of the people around him, who cared for him.

Which meant… only he could save her, save everyone. Surely if the whole thing was all a plot by Rika to punish him, he would be able to stop her, placate her with just himself. Surely there was still something even a pathetic coward could do to make things right, to save the woman who had been nothing but gentle and trusting towards him.

Setting his jaw, he glanced back through the trees and, finding them still, continued back on his way to the shelter he had once intended to bring Eunbyeol to. That he still would find a way to bring her to.

He had to.


	5. Real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eunbyeol's reaction to the attempted ceremony at Magenta.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually finished this a few days ago but didn't get around to posting it until now. And it's a good break from the (more) Eunbyeol/Jihyun angst I'm working on. (If anyone's curious, feel free to read [this](https://ravenclawnerd.tumblr.com/post/167544772706/ooh-can-i-throw-a-writing-challenge-in-your) in the meantime.) :P
> 
> Takes place the end of day 4/early day 5 of Another Story.

After several long, fitful, minutes, Eunbyeol gives up the attempt to sleep. There’s too much going on this night, too much running through her head, chasing each other, to even begin considering it.

How can she sleep now that she knows everything she believed was a lie? The game, the testing… Her entire presence in that facility… Ray tricked her, forcing her into a situation that made it seem like she was acting of her own free will.

Frustrated, she sits up, leaning back against soft, downy pillows and glancing around the room, this time with suspicion instead of admiration. The warm bed, the delicious food and comfortable accommodations. They have always felt a bit out of place, discordant, given her status and limited accessibility of the compound.

How she missed it the first so many times, she’ll never know, but she cannot imagine the scolding she’d receive if her family knew everything she managed to stumble into. The naïveté and gullibility she has displayed, in trusting the random stranger who messaged her to the point of agreeing to get into a car while blindfolded. The entire setup screamed of being a trap or trick of some sort.

And she fell for it, hook, line, and sinker.

Shaking her head, she gets to her feet and moves to the window, her sole taste of the outside world, these past few days. Outside, a nearly full moon shines down, casting pale light across the grounds. In the stillness, they look quieter, more innocent, shielding their potentially insidious nature from the rest of the world.

She wonders briefly how many of the flowers blossoming under the moon hide poison under their beautiful visages.

Meanwhile, beyond… Trees stretch as far as she can see, thick and mysterious and lining the grounds into the dark horizon. Her trip to the compound passed in a blur of motion and the sleep mask, but she’s fairly certain that they are quite far off the beaten path, disappearing into the mountains surrounding the city, hours away from civilization.

And V must be somewhere out there, still on the run from the followers Ray sent after him. Or else…

In spite of the warmth of the room, she shivers. Or else already captured and dragged back before their leader, this Savior, whose identity she suspects she might have determined. And she can’t imagine, she doesn’t want to imagine, what might happen to V if she is right.

Splinters bite into her skin and she looks down to find that she’s gripping the windowsill so tightly that her knuckles are stark white against the dark wood. Taking a deep breath, she consciously relaxes her hands, though willing her thoughts to settle is met with somewhat less success. Still, surely she’d have heard something if he were caught. Surely it would be flaunted in front of her, if only to demonstrate the RFA’s weakness.

Surely, no news is good news.

With a sharp motion, she turns away from the window and the night that seems to promise only anxiety. Worrying about it won’t do anything to help either of them. Instead, her eyes light upon her phone, lying innocently on the bedside table, and almost before she has given any thought to her own actions, she’s lunging for it, splaying across the bed in an ungainly flail of limbs. As soon as she lays hands on it, it’s unlocked, fingers tapping for V’s number on instinct.

Already, the navigation is familiar, unsurprising given how many times she’s called him, even if she thought he was simply an AI. But now…

But now, no matter what else happens, she knows he’s _real_ , that the man who exudes gentleness and concern, who is soft and sweet, is not a creation or an idealization.

He _exists_ and she _knows_ him.

She finds that her heart is racing as she presses the phone to her ear, and it’s not only from concern that he’s been caught. It’s ridiculous; the fact that the game was a lie means only that everything that happened to V—his fiancee’s disappearance, his quiet suffering, his heartbreak—are equally real, and just the thought of someone going through as much as he has makes her chest ache.

But, that also means that his worry for her, all of his words and sentiments in both the chatroom and over the phone, were equally real.

 _He_ is real.

And in spite of everything, it’s enough to make her smile as he answers the phone.


End file.
